May 4th, 2018

Danielle Warner and Brent Weaver are honored by the Newberg, Oregon, institution for the 2017-18 school year

NEWBERG, Ore. – Two professors in the school’s music department were named recipients of George Fox University’s 2017-18 undergraduate teaching and research/scholarship awards.

Danielle Warner, an assistant professor of music and director of choral activities, was recipient of George Fox’s Faculty Achievement Award for Undergraduate Teaching, while fellow music instructor Brent Weaver, a professor of music theory and composition, was named recipient of the Faculty Achievement Award for Undergraduate Research and Scholarship.

Warner is primarily responsible for conducting the four choral groups on campus, and this past year she also taught conducting, her self-confessed true passion.

“What I love most about teaching is twofold,” she said. “First and foremost is my love for students. They are funny and hardworking and think critically about the material. They are willing to serve others in both mundane and profound ways and are willing to be vulnerable and open to anything.

“Secondly, I love teaching at a place where I have the ability to dream, explore exciting opportunities and collaborate with other colleagues. For example, we performed Leonard Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms this spring, and it was an extremely proud moment for me personally and professionally.”

Ultimately, it’s her love of music and passing along that love that drives her.

“The two great loves of my life are people and music,” she said. “I look forward to growing as a conductor and artist over my lifetime and also teaching the next generation.”

Warner holds a doctor of musical arts from the University of Missouri Kansas City Conservatory of Music and Dance, a master of music from Western Washington University and a bachelor’s degree in music from Whitman College.

Weaver, who has been composing music for 45 years – from solo piano works to symphonies and opera – was honored for his creative work rather than research. He has had his works performed all over the world and has written extensively for the school’s choirs, band and orchestra. In 2017, for the school’s 125th anniversary, he wrote a fanfare to mark the occasion.

“I get to work with terrific colleagues and fantastic students,” he said. “I chair a department that’s involved in honoring God through disciplined and joyful music making, serving a community of learners who honor the name of Christ, and I get to teach and do my creative work in the midst of that community.

Weaver takes the most satisfaction out of not hearing his own works performed, but seeing his students excel.

“Every time I hear my own works offered to the community it’s a thrill – a real reward for what can be long hours of work,” he said. “But maybe even better than that is watching our student composers hear their creations realized and seeing the joy they experience. It’s literally watching someone else’s dreams come true.”

Weaver holds both a doctor of musical arts and master of music degree from the University of Oregon and a bachelor’s degree in music from Goshen College.

George Fox University is ranked by Forbes among the top Christian universities in the country and is a Christian college classified by U.S. News & World Report as a “Best Regional University.” Money magazine ranked it the No. 1 school in Oregon in its 2017-18 “Best Colleges for Your Money” list. More than 4,000 students attend classes on the university’s campus in Newberg, Ore., and at teaching centers in Portland, Salem and Redmond, Ore. George Fox offers bachelor’s degrees in more than 40 majors, degree-completion programs for working adults, six seminary degrees, and 13 master’s and doctoral degrees.